Dark Nights
by EugeneJ22
Summary: AU: A string of events leads a certain Gotham City Vigilante to Starling City for answers. How will The Arrow and the urban myth work together to bring down these new threats to their cities? **Chapter 9 and Epilogue Posted**
1. Author's Notes

**Just so everyone can get a clear visual of the Batman I'm using:**

**Story: **Batman's been around for 4 1/2 years now, he works covertly so people still believe he's a myth.

**Batsuit: **I'm going with the Batman Begins batsuit with a couple of modifications:

Shorter ears

The neck part of the cowl is sculpted like an actual human neck

The suit itself is a darker black

The cape is shaped like it is in the comics

Plus he has a little bit more muscle

**Bruce Wayne/Batman: **Karl Urban (Imagine the Dredd voice as Batman)

_**With that said, Enjoy**_!


	2. Prologue

_Gotham_

"Hey Johnny..you hear about the Bat-Man..." An armed thug said to another.

It was past midnight, there were several armed men stationed around the docks area where a meeting was about to go down between two of the biggest crime mobs of Gotham.

"The Bat? Man that's just an urban myth." Johnny replied.

"No he isn't, I've seen him! The man moves like a shadow." Interjected another thug.

"They say he was the guy who took out Cobblepot the other week. OSWALD FREAKING COBBLEPOT. We must be out of our minds to be out here tonight."

"Look, the boss needed this deal to go down with Maroni. With his help, we'll have all of Gotham on lock. Besides, if this Bat do show up, we'll light'em up like a candle." Johnny said, cocking his MP7, the others laughing at the idea.

"Shhhhh, here they come."

A boat cruised up to the shore, several more armed men aboard it. Out the deck came Sal Maroni himself, dressed in a suit, as he stepped onto the dock.

"Gentlemen." Maroni greeted with a heavy Boston accent. "Where's your boss?"

"He prefered it if this was done this way, in case of any...mishaps." Said one of the thugs.

"I was told this would be a face-to-face type of jig." Maroni countered, not pleased.

"Well with mob bosses being slowly taken down one by one, can you blame him?" The thug retorted.

"Whatever, let's get on with it. Let's see the prize." Maroni said with a smirk.

The lead thug signaled the others to bring the cases. The thugs opened them to reveal M4A1s to which brought a smile to Maroni's face.

"We supply the weapons, you supply us the extra bodies." The lead thug said.

Maroni snapped his fingers, allowing his men to retreive the cases and take them to the boat.

"We have a deal." Maroni said, holding out his hand to the lead thug.

Before the lead thug could shake Maroni's hand, a scream comes from afar, causing the two mobs to cock their weapons.

"What the hell was that?" Maroni said, pulling a Beretta out his suit jacket.

The lead thug looked around and saw one of his men were missing.

"JOHNNY! WHERE'S JOHNNY?" He yells.

All of a sudden, gas bombs exploded all over the area, causing everyone to choke and cough. One by one, Maroni's men and the other mob men get taken out, bullets flying through the gas, the only thing the men see is a black blur.

Maroni and two other men managed to escape the gas before their boat ended up exploding. The three ran to the other side of the dock where it was more lit to gather themselves.

"What the hell just happened?" Maroni said, reloading his pistol.

"It was the Bat! I told you he was real!" The thug said.

"Quiet!" Maroni ordered.

Around them they could hear movement, the wind wooshing in different directions, Maroni stepped out to get a better look. The lights above them shatter and a shadow flies past Maroni, tackling the other two thugs over the railing. It happened so fast, the thugs couldn't even let a scream out.

"Jesus Christ..." was all Maroni could say.

He took a couple of steps backwords, his gun pointing outward, and noticed his left foot got caught on something.

He looks down to see what looks like a wire around his ankle, soon the wire tightened and yanked him upward several stories, making him drop his gun and let out a sort of high pitch scream as he ascended to what was the top of a crane.

As he reached the top, hanging upside down, a figure appeared before him. Maroni's eyes widened as the figure yanked him closer, and with a low, growly voice, the figure said,

"I want a name."


	3. Chapter 1

(One Week Later)

_Starling City_

John Diggle was stationed at the monitors where Felicity would usually be stationed. Roy and Oliver return to the Foundry fully suited as The Arrow and Arsenal after a night of following leads of a string of serial killings made during the past month that could be connected to the recent killings in Starling and the Glades by a person going by the name of Ragdoll.

"Cross Ron Damarcos off the list, he didn't know anything." Oliver ordered, placing his bow in the glass case.

Diggle tapped Damarcos' face on the monitor, creating an X over it.

"That's the 4th one this week and still nothing on this serial killer. Does A.R.G.U.S have anything in their database?" Oliver asked, placing the hood in the glass case as well.

"Nothing outside of his codename, not even a gender. The database says that from the body shape and flexibility, the guy is more close to a female than male." Diggle replied.

Oliver didn't like cases like this, no other leads and the assailant still out there. Oliver took another look around.

"Where's Felicity?"

"Here!" Said Felicity strutting in the Foundry in heels and a violet dress, everyone looking towards her.

"Sorry, I had to take care of something with Ray, and...I really need to ask you two a favor." Felicity said with an innocent voice pointing at Oliver and Diggle then closing her hands in front of her mouth in a begging position.

Oliver and Diggle looked at each other, then Oliver turned to Roy, "Go home, get some rest. I'll call if anything else pops up."

Roy nodded and left the Foundry. Then the attention went back to Felicity, Oliver standing firmly and Diggle sitting with his arms crossed.

"I need you guys to come to the charity event at Palmer Industries tomorrow." Felicity said quickly, hoping Oliver wouldn't blow up too much about the request.

Oliver did a double take before speaking, "Felicity, there is a person out there killing people in my city, and you want me to go to one of Ray's charity events?"

"Look I know that you don't really like him..hate him actually and that would be the last place you would ever want to be, but during the event tomorrow he's going to reveal something that could benefit all of us and I really want you guys to be there." Felicity said defensively.

Oliver sighed, then looked at Diggle who had a humorous look on his face and gave Oliver an approving nudge. Oliver finally agreed to the invitation. Felicity hugged the both of them with excitement then left the Foundry in happiness.

* * *

><p>(The Next Day)<p>

_Gotham_

Billionaire Bruce Wayne is well-known around Gotham for being the Playboy and having the biggest mansion in Gotham, but not many know of Bruce Wayne's activities outside of being a Playboy.

"Master Bruce, the car is ready." Said Bruce's trusted partner and butler, Alfred.

"Thank you Alfred." Bruce replied, fixing the tie on his black suit.

"Are you sure you don't want me with you, sir?" Alfred asked with a thick English accent.

"Positive, I need you here. Maroni confessed to having a partnership with Falcone, he told me that there would be another deal going on in Starling and something about a hired bodyguard, a serial killer by the name of Ragdoll." Bruce replied.

"So going to Ray Palmer's charity event will be your cover-up for The Batman to be in Starling?" Alfred pieced together.

"Precisely. Ray's a bright man, I'm sure he won't mind." Bruce said with a smirk on his face, patting Alfred on the shoulder as he walked past him.

"And what about The Arrow, sir? You are in his territory." Alfred inserted.

Bruce stopped and turned to Alfred, "Let's just hope he doesn't get in my way."

Bruce stepped out of the mansion and stepped down the stairs toward his black Ferrari Laferrari. He got in and raced out of the gates of his mansion, a straight path to Starling City.


	4. Chapter 2

_Starling City_

It was 8:00p.m and the guests were just starting to arrive for the charity event. Oliver and Diggle had just walked into what used to be Queen Consolidated. Oliver looked around at the Palmer Industries signs all around, feeling a bit of guilt because he couldn't save what his mother and father created and envisioned for the company.

"You alright man?" Diggle asked, bringing Oliver back to reality. "I know it must be hard being here and seeing someone else's name on this building."

"You're right, but as much as I hate to admit it, Ray has done more to this company than I ever could. Besides, it's for her." Oliver said as he saw Felicity walking toward him and Diggle in a gorgeous red dress, her hair down and flowing as she walked.

"Hey!" Felicity greeted, Oliver and Diggle doing the same. "Thank you guys so much for this, I promise it won't be as bad as you think it will...not that it's going to be bad at all because...it's going to be quite good and I'm just gonna go this way."

Felicity walked off, Oliver and Diggle couldn't help but chuckle at her geekness like they always do.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

Roy was at the bar section in Verdant, observing the fun everyone was having. He saw Thea walk up to the DJ booth, causing him to smile. Even though what they have now simply plutonic, seeing her still made him really happy.

"Excuse me," Thea interrupted, the new DJ turning the music down, "I would like to thank everyone for coming out tonight, free shots all around."

"Make that two." Yelled a voice from afar.

Everyone turned to look, including Roy and Thea, and to their surprise, who they saw had everyone in shock.

"BRUCE!?" Thea yelled, shocked.

* * *

><p><em>Palmer Industries<em>

Ray Palmer was greeting everyone individually, thanking them for coming to his event. He finally made his way to Oliver and Diggle who were socializing themselves.

"Thank you so much for coming Oliver, it really does mean, a lot." Ray said, shaking Oliver's hand.

"You're doing a good thing tonight Ray, can't wait to see the main event." Oliver replied.

"You're right, tonight may just change the way we live in Starling. A hope for a better tomorrow. Oh! And by the way, no hard feelings on the whole taking the company right? It's just business." Ray added.

Oliver forced a smile and only replied with "Of course" before Ray walking away. Diggle walked up to a now motionless Oliver still with smile on his face.

"I'm surprised you didn't take the guy's head off." Diggle said humorously, Oliver just replying with a low groan before making his way to the champagne table.

* * *

><p><em>Verdant<em>

Bruce Wayne came in with a girl in each arm, presumably models. Bruce sent both ladies to bar as Thea walked up to greet him, everyone in the club now with their cell phones out taking pictures.

Bruce turned to the DJ, "Turn the beat up a little bit."

The DJ followed suit as Thea finally got to him.

"Wow, you've grown into a beautiful young woman." Bruce said charmingly, holding his hand out for a shake and Thea taking it, trying not to swoon.

"What are you doing here?" Thea asked, snapping out of her trance.

"Just here for a couple of Martinis before I went to this charity event at Palmer Industries." Bruce answered.

"Oh, my brother was attending that tonight. Aren't you going to be late?" Thea asked.

"Fashionably." Bruce responded with a grin, causing Thea to giggle a little.

"Well Mr. Wayne, I'll get right on that for you." Thea said flirtatiously before walking off.

Thea always had a crush on Bruce, even as a child. Of course she knew he was far too old for her, but one could dream.

Thea got to the bar and started making the Martinis when Roy walked up to her.

"Was that who I think it was?" Roy asked.

"Bruce Wayne? Billionaire, Playboy, and owner of Wayne Enterprises? You guessed it." Thea answered.

"So do all rich people really do know each other?"

"Just about," Thea answered enthusiastically, causing Roy to nudge her a little bit, "my parents knew his parents before they died, he's been a family friend since. Though him and Ollie never really saw eye to eye, almost like they were in a competition."

Bruce walked to the bar, Roy standing up firm.

"Bruce this is Roy Harper, Roy this is Bruce, and here is your Martini." Thea introduced, Bruce and Roy shaking hands.

"You're her...boyfriend?" Bruce asked.

"EX." Roy and Thea said at the same time.

"Well it was nice meeting you Roy. Thea, do you mind if I take a look around? I love the establishment you have here." Bruce asked innocently.

"Sure, I mean this IS a club silly." Thea said.

Bruce gave her a smile before walking out into the crowd.

"You totally like him." Roy whispered.

"SHUT UP!" Thea said jokingly.

Bruce walked away from the crowd to a door that Thea once tried to open, the door that leads to the Foundry. Bruce examines the door that appears to be just a simple locked door, but he comes to find out that there is a lock on it that can be bypassed.

He places a small, circular device on the lock and looks around before pulling out a decoder on his cell phone. After a couple of seconds, the door unlocks and Bruce walks through it without being noticed.

He walks down the stairs to see the Foundry, the infamous Arrowcave. He walked up to the glass case holding Arsenal's red suit, examining all of the different arrows, then walked to the case holding The Arrow's gear. Bruce pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Alfred, the A.R.G.U.S. files were right...Oliver Queen is The Arrow."


	5. Chapter 3

_Palmer Industries_

A majority of the guests had now arrived for the event. Oliver had a lot of attention on him as he seemed to have fell off the Earth from the public eye, focusing more on his late night activities, but it was a breath of fresh air to get back to the human race again.

Ray made his rounds thanking people for coming to his event. He eventually made his way to Oliver, and Ray was the last person Oliver wanted to see.

"Thank you for coming Oliver." Ray told Oliver, shaking his hand.

"You got a good thing going here Ray. Can't wait to see the main event." Oliver said.

"You're right about that, I have a vision for a better tomorrow Oliver, and a lot of it is mostly because of Felicity. I know I don't have to tell you how she brightens up the world when she's around."

They both turned to Felicity who didn't notice the both of them staring as she carried on in conversation. Oliver figured as much as he didn't like Ray, he could see he was a deeply a good man at heart, and that's who Felicity needed. A person who had a "normal" life.

"By the way," Ray interrupted, "no hard feelings on the whole "taking your company away from you" right? All in good business?"

Oliver forced a smile, "Of course."

Ray walked off as Diggle made his way toward Oliver, who still had that forced smile on his face.

"I'm surprised you didn't take the man's head off." Diggle joked, Oliver just glaring at him.

"May I have your attention please." Ray commanded, his voice firm, yet light-hearted.

Everyone gathered around, members of Palmer Industries all gathered behind Ray, including Felicity.

"As if I hadn't said it enough already, thank you all for coming. The "Keep Starling Clean" Foundation has taken many of Starling's resources and made the city's energy more self-sufficient. "To accomplish something big, we must start small" was what my father always told me."

While Ray was giving his speech, Oliver's phone started vibrating. He checks it and sees that it's a red-alert from the Foundry security system. He leans over to Diggle and whispers to him,

"The security system at the Foundry went off just now."

"I'll go check it out." Diggle responds.

"No, I'll call Roy. The system hasn't been looked at since Nyssa and the League got in." Oliver tells him before discretely moving away from the crowd.

Oliver moved to a distant location and calls Roy's phone.

* * *

><p><em>Verdant<em>

Roy and Thea were in mid-conversation when his phone started ringing. He see's that it was Oliver and moves to a quiet location, then answers the phone.

"Yea?"

"There's been a red alert in the Foundry, can you check it out for me?"

"Of course, I'm on it."

Roy moves away from the club scene and to the access door, the one Bruce went through. He made sure no one was looking and walked through. He switched the lights on to the Foundry and cautiously proceeded down the stairs. Immediately he saw nothing out of place, but he was always taught to be mindful of his surroundings.

Roy looked over the gear, then looked over the suits. He made his way to the monitors to look at the hidden surveillance inside the Foundry like Felicity showed him, he saw nothing. He returned to his phone,

"The Foundry is clear and there's nothing on surveillance."

"Good. Thanks." Oliver said before hanging up.

* * *

><p>Oliver returns to Diggle and told him it was a false alarm as Ray continued with his speech.<p>

* * *

><p>Roy took one last look around before going out the alternate exit of the Foundry. After he left, Bruce dropped down from the ceiling, barely making a noise. He then looked over to the Arsenal suit, piecing together that Roy Harper was the man in red. He then also made his exit out the Foundry.<p>

_Moments later..._

Bruce arrives back to the bar, looking as if he had done a little bit of partying.

"How was the Martini?" Thea asked.

"Exquisite." Bruce joked, sounding like the genetic rich person stereotype.

"But, I must make my way to the event. Don't want to be too late." Bruce said, winking at Thea before heading out.

"Come back to visit!" Thea yelled, Bruce already out the doors.

"Ok, you can stop drooling now." Roy joked, Thea jokingly pushing him making both of them giggle.

* * *

><p><em>Palmer Industries<em>

"Now, I do have a special guest for this evening. He has been the main contributor and investor to this Foundation, but of course, he is always late to these kinds of things." Ray said.

A woman walks up to Ray and whispers something in his ear.

"Speak of the devil. Everyone, here is the C.E.O of Wayne Enterprises, Mr. Bruce Wayne."

**Author's Notes: ****A slow start I know. Next chapter will pick up the pace a little bit more as Ollie and Bruce will meet face to face. Hopefully I'll have it up by tonight. Reviews are welcome.**


	6. Chapter 4

"Bruce?" Oliver whispers.

Everyone applauded as Bruce made his way out of the elevator and toward Ray, shaking many people's hands in the process.

"I hope I'm not too late, I hate missing your great speeches Ray." Bruce said, taking a glass of champagne and sipping on it.

"Bruce has donated 12 million dollars over the years to, not only the foundation, but to our newest project that will be revealed soon. In the meantime, enjoy the drinks." Ray said, going up to Bruce and shaking his hand.

The guests dispersed back to their individual conversations. Bruce walks up to Felicity to introduce himself as this was his first time seeing her in Palmer Industries.

"Felicity Smoak?" Bruce asked, catching her attention quickly., "This is the first time we've officially met. I'm-"

"Bruce Wayne." Felicity interrupted. "You're a very popular man. I read you online all the time...NOT in a stalker kind of way...Not that I wouldn't mind being your stalker. Did I really just say that?" Felicity said shaking her head in embarrassment. "I'm-"

"Felicity Smoak?" Bruce said with a grin, amused at Felicity's awkwardness. Felicity couldn't help but smile herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Wayne." Felicity said, shaking Bruce's hand.

"The pleasure is mine." Bruce said almost seductively, bringing her hand to his lips and placed a small kiss on her knuckle. Felicity let out a small "oh", her hand on her chest as she was taken away by how Bruce Wayne really was.

Oliver walked up with Diggle and cleared his throat, interrupting the moment and bringing Felicity back to Earth.

"Bruce," Oliver said, holding out his hand, "it's been a long time."

"Oliver Queen. Bruce returned, shaking Oliver's hand, making sure not to act strangely toward him since he knows his secret. "It's good to have you back home."

"You two know each other?" Felicity asked.

"Old friends." Oliver said, smiling at Bruce.

"Bruce, this is John Diggle." Oliver said, Diggle shaking Bruce's hand.

"I heard you were back after five years," Bruce said to Oliver, "I'm sorry I couldn't visit. Gotham had been...busy. I'm also sorry about Mrs. Queen, I was at the funeral but I couldn't seem to find you."

"When she died, it hit me hard." Oliver said.

"I understand." Bruce said, Oliver remembering Bruce lost both of his parents when he was a child, feeling a bit of guilt come on to him.

"Staying for the night Mr. Wayne?" Diggle asked, breaking the ice.

"For a couple of nights actually. It's been years since I've been in Starling, thought I'd enjoy the sights." Bruce said, instantly looking at Felicity who looked down with a smile, Oliver not amused.

Ray walks up to the group, "Felicity, Bruce, it's time."

"If you would excuse us." Bruce said to Oliver and Diggle.

"You don't like him do you?" Diggle said.

"Something's different about him." Oliver analyzed.

"I think the only person different around here is you." Diggle joked.

Ray, Felicity, and Bruce walked up to the front of the office along with the rest of the members.

"Ok everybody," Ray said. "our newest project was one we could not speak about, not until the time was right."

An assistant brought out a table with a giant box shaped tarp.

"I envisioned a better tomorrow for Starling. Palmer Industries has just made a break through with something called a Fusion Engine. Though experimental, it will supply merely free energy to not only Starling, but to parts of the Glades as well. Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you my vision. Star City!"

Ray pulls the tarp off, everyone gasps in surprise.

"Not the expression I expected." Ray said as he looked at what was just a regular box.

"Wait, what happened to my model and Fusion Engine?" Ray asked, the assistant no knowing.

Ray went to open the box, Felicity cautioning him. He opens the top and looks in, a leg snaps out and kicks Ray in the chin causing Ray to fall to the ground. Bruce pushes Felicity behind him to guard her.

A tall, slender figure rises up from the box in a shiny, all black leather type suit, the person had long, bright red, dreaded hair and wore an all white doll looking mask.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" the man said, very melodramatic, "I will be your entertainment."

Then man took a bow, as if he was on stage, then clapped his hands. Armed assailants rushed in, shooting their weapons in the ceiling, causing people to panic. The elevator and stairs were blocked off by them, and there was nowhere else for them to go being they were on the top floor.

"No one make any sudden movements and I promise you won't get hurt." the man in leather said.

Oliver and Diggle couldn't make a move or else too many innocent people would die.

"I need my suit." Oliver told Diggle.

"I already sent an S.O.S to Roy." Diggle replied.

"Now...where is Ronald Harken." the man in leather asked. People cleared a path, revealing Ronald.

"You sold the boss man out Ronny-boy." The man said.

"What? No, I promise I didn't sell him out. I SWEAR." Ronald said nervously.

"Shhhhh." The man said, now in Ronald's ear. "The boss doesn't like sell-outs."

With one swift movement, the man in leather quickly jumps on Ronald, his body wrapping abnormally around Ronald's body, and then there was a giant SNAP. The man in the doll mask unfolds himself off of a now lifeless Ronald, who simply fell to the floor. Everyone was now afraid.

"There was another one here. One Jacob Paulini." The man in leather said. Everyone went silent."Oh...so you're not giving him up are we? That's fine."

The man took a random woman and held her head cocked, squeezing her cheeks making her lips pucker.

"GIVE ME JACOB PAULINI!" He yelled.

"HEY!" A voice yelled to the man. It was Bruce Wayne, standing firm. "Why don't you let her go and take me instead."

The man in the doll mask was intrigued, he pushed the woman to the side and cartwheeled his way toward Bruce. The man was now face-to-face with the billionaire.

"Ahh Mr. Wayne, a brave soul you are, but I don't like being yelled at. How about I just cut out your tongue." The man snapped out a small Swiss knife, but Bruce didn't budge.

Suddenly, a figure crashes through the window taking out two assailants in the process. It was Arsenal who had now drawn his bow and shot another assailant in the shoulder. The assailants' attention was now on Arsenal as they all started firing at him. Arsenal dove behind an office desk and started picking off more assailants.

The guests were now scurrying around. Oliver and Diggle took out the assailants guarding the elevator and stairs while everyone was occupied.

"THIS WAY!" Oliver yelled, catching the guests attention. Diggle ran up to Oliver for orders.

"Dig, get these people out safely." Oliver said handing Diggle one of the assailants rifles.

"What about Felicity?" Diggle asked.

Oliver looked over to see that Ray and Bruce made it out with Felicity.

"I'll make sure she's safe, GO!" Oliver said before parting ways.

Oliver ran toward an assailant who didn't see him until the last minute, he tried to turn and fire at Oliver but Oliver stopped him in his tracks. Oliver took the rifle away and bashed the assailant across the jaw with it before another came from behind him in which Oliver did a simple roundhouse to the rifle, then a right hook to the jaw, knocking the assailant out.

Oliver then runs through gunfire toward Roy, vaulting over obstacles in his way, then sliding to a near table in which Oliver flips over and uses as a barrier.

"ARSENAL!" Oliver yells through the gunfire.

"GARABAGE CAN ON THE STAIRCASE!" Roy quickly yells back before standing and firing another arrow.

Oliver quickly makes his way out of the room and toward the stairs. He finds the nearest trash canister and opens it to see his gear. He takes it and makes his way down another flight of stairs.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile...<em>

Ray, Felicity, and Bruce made their way down the emergency exit stairs on the other side of the building where they suspected no one would be, until they heard more running and yelling coming up the stairs. They took the nearest exit onto a floor and hid in an office.

"Are you ok?" Felicity asked Ray, her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine, are you hurt?" Ray asked back, Felicity simply shaking her head. "What about you Bruce?"

"There's someone coming," Bruce said instinctively, "get down and stay quiet."

Soon all of them heard footsteps. Bruce waited around the corner, listening to the steps getting closer and closer. A pistol appeared from the corner that Bruce quickly grabbed with his right hand , catching the assailant off guard.

Bruce then twists behind the assailant, causing the assailant to fire. Bruce wraps his left arm around the assailant's neck and sends a kick to the crease in the back of the assailant's leg causing him to lean backwards, Bruce uses this momentum to take the assailant down to the ground and breaks his arm in the process, causing him to yell in pain. All in one swift, fluid movement.

Ray and Felicity looked at Bruce astonished.

"I did a lot of self-defense over the years." Bruce answered. "Is there another way out of here?"

"We do have a built-in panic room." Ray answered.

"How far away is it?" Felicity asked.

"Two floors down..." Ray said hopelessly.

Bruce looked around the room for any more assailants, then motioned them to come on. They cautiously made their way back to the stairs, when all of a sudden they heard whistling down the hallway. The three turned to look and saw that it was the man in the doll mask, waving his knife at the three.

"We need to run." Felicity said, not knowing she was holding on tightly to Bruce.

"You two get out of here," Bruce told Ray, "I'll hold him off."

"Are you crazy!? He'll kill you!" Felicity yelled.

"Bruce this is no time for heroics, we have a running start on him, we all can make it." Ray added.

"Running won't get us away from this man. Just get her out of here. I'll be fine." Bruce said in a serious tone, reminding Felicity of Oliver almost. Ray took Felicity and went down the stairway.

When they left, Bruce gave a deadly glare toward the man in the doll mask and calmly made his walk toward him, loosening his tie as the man in the doll mask was now rushing toward Bruce.


	7. Chapter 5

The man in the doll mask swung his Swiss knife, manically aiming for Bruce's face and throat, but Bruce evaded and parried every attempt with a mixture of wrist locking, palm strikes, and forearm blocking.

"Have you done this before Mr. Wayne?" The man in the doll mask said sounding impressed, Bruce not falling for his small talk.

The man in the doll mask then lunges at Bruce in which Bruce ducks under and sends a hard elbow to the man in the doll mask's knee, making him shout in pain and fall to the floor as his knee was now bent inward. Bruce goes to examine the psycho, but was caught off guard as the man in the doll mask acrobatically kicks Bruce to a nearby wall.

"Just kidding." The man in the doll mask said before lunging at Bruce again, Bruce now in an open-handed stance ready for him.

The two were interrupted as an arrow shot the Swiss knife out of the psycho's hand. Both looked over to see The Arrow standing tall.

"Run!" The Arrow yelled to Bruce.

Bruce wanted to get answers out of him, but did what The Arrow told him as he made his way the emergency stairs, the man in the doll mask watching him. The psycho then adverts his attention to The Arrow.

"You know, I really liked that knife...that's ok, I always carry a spare." The psycho said, snapping out another Swiss knife.

"Who are you?" The Arrow demanded.

"Oh! Of course! Silly me. You may call me...Ragdoll." The man in the doll mask now calling himself Ragdoll said, taking another bow.

"Why are you in Starling City..." The Arrow asked.

"Business of course!" Ragdoll said before a timer started going off. "Awww...welp, looks like my time here is done."

Ragdoll rushes at The Arrow with great speed, The Arrow draws his bow and fires the arrow. Ragdoll slides on his knees under the arrow and past the vigilante, The Arrow draws his bow again but Ragdoll was already around the corner. The Arrow runs after Ragdoll around the corner and draws his bow, but the psycho was gone.

* * *

><p><em>Moments Later...<em>

Oliver had ran outside of the building, cops were all over the place. He finally found Diggle, Felicity, Ray, and Bruce being questioned by the police. Oliver quickly walked up to Felicity.

"Is everyone ok?" Oliver asked the group.

"Are you ok?" Oliver asked Felicity specifically.

"Yea, thanks to Bruce." Felicity said looking at Bruce.

"Turns out Mr. Wayne held off the assailant while Ray got Felicity to safety." Diggle filled in.

Oliver observed Bruce, there were scratches on him. Any normal man would have been killed just as Ronald was tonight, but Oliver didn't think that was important right now.

"Thank you." Oliver said to Bruce sincerely.

"What can I say, I'm a sucker for a beautiful damsel." Bruce said, Ray and Oliver giving him a small glare.

* * *

><p><em>Later That Night...<em>

Captain Lance met with The Arrow privately on the S.C.P.D. Police Station to discuss tonight's situation.

"God, I haven't seen this many arrests since the Allen fiasco in '09." Lance joked.

"One got away." The Arrow said, right to the point.

"You catch a dozen criminals and you're worried about 1 that got away?" Lance asked.

"The man that got away is the one that's been murdering innocent people around the city." The Arrow answered.

"We have an A.P.B on a man in black leather, red hair, with a doll mask. We'll catch'em." Lance reassured.

"I plan on it." The Arrow said before walking away.

* * *

><p>Bruce had just arrived at his hotel, it was almost midnight. He started unbuttoning his shirt and took it off, revealing many scars from knives and gunshots, most of them on his back. He sat down on the bed and made a phone call.<p>

"Alfred." Bruce said as he untied his shoes.

"Master Bruce! Are you ok sir? I saw what happened on the news." Alfred asked warily.

"I'm fine Alfred."

"Did you find the culprits?"

"Yes, I didn't get any answers but I did plant a tracker. It disappeared near the Glades. That's where I start my search. The deal isn't going down until another couple of days, that gives me time to get more information."

"Very well sir."

"Oliver saved me tonight Alfred, he's good. His marksmanship with a bow is superb, I suspect that his hand-to-hand capabilities are also up to par. Though, his gear is more primitive than mine, the only exceptions are the trick arrows. He also uses a voice modulator to disguise his voice."

"Probably better than that awful voice you use Master Bruce."

Bruce cracked a smile, "I see a lot of Gotham in Starling. It's dark...grimy. Even the psychos are almost the same."

"Does Starling have killer clowns too sir?" Alfred joked.

"No, but I am going to need the suit tonight. Tomorrow, I'm going to work."

"It will arrive shortly."


	8. Chapter 6

(The Next Day)

Oliver had just walked into the loft that both him and his sister were staying in. Thea was waiting on the sofa for him.

"Ollie!" She yelled, running to Oliver and hugging him. "I saw what happened on the new, are you ok?"

"I'm fine Thea." Oliver reassured Thea.

"What happened?" Thea asked.

"Some mad man and a couple of robbers tried to hold us hostage, but we were saved by-"

"The Arrow?" Thea finished, sounding bitter. She still had a bit of a grudge toward the vigilante for threatening their mother.

Before continuing the conversation, Oliver's phone rings and he sees that it's Laurel.

"Hello?" Oliver answered.

"We have some information that could help you find your serial killer." Laurel said.

* * *

><p><em>The Foundry<em>

Oliver walked into the Foundry. He saw Felicity sitting near the monitors and Diggle, Roy, and Laurel by the lab table.

"Jacob Paulini," Laurel started, pulling out a folder, "one of the wealthiest men in Starling. He's had many accusations of arms deals over years, but they were eventually dropped because of the lack of evidence. Apparently he and the now deceased Ronald Harken were business associates, he was also accused of arms deal along with Jacob."

"So what does he have to do with the killer?" Oliver asks.

"There's been word going around about an arms deal coming up between two big crime bosses. One crime boss by the name of Salvatore Maroni was taken down recently in Gotham. Some people are saying that "The Bat-Man" took him down." Diggle added.

"Bat-Man?" Oliver said confusingly.

"An urban myth, like the Boogeyman. Says that there's a man dressed as a bat taking down criminals around Gotham. The rumors started a year before you came back from the island, but their hasn't been an official siting, even the police deny the possibility." Diggle answered.

"The guy must have some major psychological issues to be dressed as a flying rodent." Felicity said, spinning in her chair.

"Roy, suit up. We need to pay Mr. Paulini a visit." Oliver said, both of them making their way to their corresponding cases containing their suits.

* * *

><p>It was the middle of the night, Jacob Paulini was in his condo dressed only in a robe, sipping wine out of a champagne glass. The estate had guards surrounding the area due to the mishap of last night.<p>

He had just sent two beautiful women out the door and started walking toward a wall made entirely of glass and stared out at the Starling shoreline, a beautiful view at night in which he admired as he leaned against the glass. Moments later there was a knock on his door, Jacob turned around and started toward the door.

"What did you forget now!" Jacob yelled frustratedly.

He unlocked the door then twisted the nob. Right as he did, the door was violently kicked down off it's hinges and landed on top of him. He scurried from under the door toward a nearby wall as The Arrow and Arsenal barged in. The Arrow drew his bow and shot an arrow at Jacob, narrowly missing his head.

"The man in the doll mask, WHO IS HE!" The Arrow ordered.

"Wha-I don't know what you're talking about man." Jacob said, looking at the arrow that almost hit him. The Arrow drew his bow again and shot it at the other side of Jacob's head.

"OK, OK!" Jacob yelled, "He's supposed to be a bodyguard."

"For who!" The Arrow yelled.

"I can't say man, I already have that lunatic after me..."

The Arrow drew his bow again, this time shooting it in between Jacob's legs.

"JESUS! OK! He was hired by Falcone, insurance for the next deal." Jacob panicked.

"Falcone?" Roy whispered.

Then, a dark figure breaks through the window beside Jacob, pinning him to the ground.

"You're coming with me." The figure said in a low, growly voice.

The Arrow and Arsenal both drew their bows back, but the figure threw a couple of miniature flash bangs at the duo, blinding them. Oliver could see the figure fly out the broken window and pursued them.

"Roy! Oliver! Are you ok?" Felicity asked over the comms.

"Someone took Jacob!" The Arrow yelled.

Oliver ran to the broken window and jumped out, shooting a grappling arrow to the top of the condo which propelled him upward. When he got to the top, he saw the figure more clearly.

His suit was as black as the night itself, the only thing you could see was his jaw. The figure also wore a long cape that over draped his feet even standing straight up and had a lean, muscular build that was evident even through his suit. What made it worse was that he was holding Jacob upside-down on the edge of the condo with one arm, and the condo was several stories high.

"Let...him...GO." The Arrow said to the figure, drawing his bow back.

The figure turned and looked at the Arrow and released Jacob, his scream heard during his descent but was stopped in mid-air as he was connected to a wire. The Arrow fired his weapon, the figure simply blocking it with his spiked gauntlets. The Arrow then charged toward the figure, shooting another arrow in which the figure caught.

The Arrow and the masked figure were now locked in combat, blocking, parrying, and evading each other's attacks. The Arrow swung his bow with precision, the masked man blocking his attacks with his spiked gauntlets and returning them with elbow strikes and knees in which The Arrow also blocked.

The Arrow went for a right hook in which the masked figure ducked under and sent his elbow in The Arrow's thigh, sending The Arrow down to one knee. The masked figure followed with a left hook that connected, disorienting Oliver, the masked man continued with a left side kick that The Arrow blocked and a right straight kick that went into The Arrow's chest, making Oliver grunt from the force and roll.

As he rebounded from the kick, The Arrow went for another arrow from his quiver but saw that the masked man was gone. This caught Oliver off guard as the masked man was standing behind The Arrow, Oliver did not realize it until it was too late.

The Arrow swung his bow around but the masked man caught Oliver's wrist midway through, then sent a kick to Oliver's rib followed by a backhanded fist to Oliver's hand, making him drop the bow. The masked man then pulled Oliver into his knee, hitting Oliver in the gut before a final elbow to the back of Oliver's neck, sending The Arrow crashing down to the floor in pain.

An arrow went flying at the masked man in which he blocked with his spiked gauntlet and saw Arsenal had finally made his way to the top of the condo and decided to make his leave, running toward the edge of the building. The Arrow painfully forced his way back to his feet and asked,

"Who are you?"

The masked man turned to him and simply said, "I'm Batman." as he spread his cape that extended to the shape of wings and dropped backwards off the building.

**Author's Notes: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Took me forever to think of an Arrow-type fighting style for Batman knowing that he knows over 100 different styles, so I'm loosely basing it off TDK Trilogy Keysi style while also adding others such as Kali, Krav Maga, etc. The story is ending in a couple of chapters, I already have the ending in my head, but feel free to review and let me know what you think.**


	9. Chapter 7

**Author's Notes:** **Sorry for the wait, my laptop got messed up and has to be fixed, so I'm using another computer. In any case, here's the newest chapter. I'll try to post the next on tomorrow morning. _Enjoy!_**

Two days have past since Oliver came face-to-face with The Batman. Since then, The Batman has made a few appearances as there have been witnesses who have claimed to have seen him around Starling, cleaning up crime.

Oliver has been training nonstop for the past two days. Going up against this vigilante left a mark on Oliver as not many people can beat Oliver in combat so easily, with the exception probably being members of the League of Assassins. Oliver and his team had also been rooftop to rooftop and cracking down on crooks trying to find The Batman.

Even with that, The Batman left no traces for Oliver and his team to track, this guy was the literal definition of a ghost, and Oliver hated that. He hated that there were no more leads on this Ragdoll serial kill nor on this vigilante, the team was literally at a dead end.

Diggle and Felicity entered the Foundry to see Oliver shirtless, training hard on the wooden dummy, looking as if he was taking out his frustration. Diggle and Felicity stood to the side until Oliver finally noticed them.

"Hey!" Oliver said breathing heavily as he stepped back from the dummy, clearly masking his frustration, "Did you find anything?"

"We found a lead, Steven Hortz. Intel says the guy knows arms dealers from here to Metropolis." Diggle answered.

"I also just got off the phone with Caitlin, I told her to tell Barry to keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary, which might have been a poor play of words for who they deal with." Felicity added.

Oliver nodded as he made his way to the glass case containing his suit and gear. Diggle and Felicity looked at each other then back to Oliver.

"You alright man? Need me to call Roy for backup?" Diggle asked.

"No need,I got ths one." Oliver answered, zipping up his jacket.

* * *

><p><em>Moments Later...<em>

The Arrow was perched on the rooftop across from Steven Hortz's whereabouts. As he examined the area he saw that the police were already there.

Captain Lance was observing Steven Hortz tied up and hanging upside-down as his team of police were taking away the rest of the crooks, when he heard a noise come from behind him. He turned to see that it was The Arrow who also observed Mr. Hortz hanging from the ceiling.

"Looks like you've been busy these past few days. We're gonna have to build a bigger jail if you keep this up." Quentin said.

"This wasn't me." The Arrow said, Captain Lance giving him a curious look, "There's another vigilante in Starling calling himself The Batman."

"Wait, so you're telling me that the guy actually exists?" Quentin asked, astonished.

The Arrow didn't answer as he turned around and made his way out a window.

* * *

><p><strong>(The Next Day)<strong>

Felicity was on her way to work at Palmer Industries. She made her way to the front of the building and saw that there were two giant guards wainting at the doors.

"I.D please." Said a guard who stopped Felicity.

Felicity pulled out her Palmer Industries I.D card and the guards opened the doors for her. She made her way to the elevator and went to the top floor. As she got to the floor, she made her way to Ray's office.

"Hey, what's with the gua-" Felicity spoke but stopped short as she saw that Ray was in the middle of a conversation with Bruce Wayne, who was sitting in front of Ray 's desk.

"The guards?" Ray finished, "I hope they weren't too intimidating, Ihad to take some precautions to ensure that the workers are safe to be here. There's one on every floor. It's only temporary until I get the new security system installed. You remember Bruce don't you?"

"How are you Ms. Smoak." Bruce said as he stood up from his chair holding out his hand.

Felicity took Bruce's hand and shook it, "You're not gonna kiss my hand again are you? NOT that I didn't enjoy it or anything..."

Bruce smiled at Felicity's awkwardness once more.

"I'm sorry for interrupting, I'll just be at my desk." Felicity said.

"Actually, you came right on time," Bruce said, stopping Felicity, "me and Ray were in disscussions of a business dinner tonight and I would love for you to be my date."

Ray's eyes moved from Bruce to Felicity who was hoping she would say no. Felicity looked at Ray then at the Salmon Ladder beside him. She examined Bruce, he was definitely built under the suit, but the Salmon Ladder requires more than just muscle.

"I'll make a deal, if you can get to the top of the Salmon Ladder in one try, I'll take you up on that offer." Felicity said flirtatiously.

Bruce looked at the contraption that she was speaking of then back at Ray who motioned him to try. Bruce took off his suit jacket and laid it on the desk chair as Felicity crossed her arms with a humorus expression on her face.

Bruce gripped the bar, then pushed up to the first set of grooves, then the second, then the third. Bruce wasn't as fast as Oliver or Ray but Felicity was impressed none the less, yet worried as she promised Oliver that she would help him find The Batman tonight. Bruce didn't want to look too good, so as he made his way to the fourth set of grooves, he misses one and lands on his feet.

"You two have a lovely dinner." Felicity said making her way out the doors, Ray looking at Bruce humorously as Bruce had a disappointed smile on his face.

* * *

><p><strong>(Hours Later...)<strong>

Felicity had just finished her work at the office and was now making her way to the parking lot. She was digging in her purse to find her keys when she heard a swooshing noise, almost as if something was flying. She turned to see what it was but saw nothing when all of a sudden a figure came down and carried Felicity upward causing her to scream.

As they reached the top, the figure released Felicity and she saw that it was The Batman, who stood broodingly in front of her, causing Felicity to move back.

"I'm not going to hurt you Ms. Smoak." The Batman said in a low growly voice, covering his body with his cape.

"Excuse me for not believing you...wait, how do you know my name?" Felicity asked panicly.

Batman slowly walked toward Felicity but stopped when she pulled out a taser gun.

"STAY BACK! I'M WARNING YOU-" Felicity yelled before accidently firing the taser.

The taser stuck to The Batman's bat symbol, but it did not phase him as he slowly pulled the prongs from his suit. This freaked Felicity out even more.

"I need to talk to your associate, The Arrow." Batman said.

"What makes you think I know him?" Felicity asked.

"I have my intel," The Batman answered, "tell him to meet me on a rooftop."

"Where?" Felicity asked, The batman walking past her.

"I'll find him." The Batman simply said before leaping of the building.

Felicity looked over to see The Batman gliding in the air.

"Great...how am I going to get down from here." Felicity said before a small explosive went off on the door across behind her, swinging the door wide open and startling Felicity.

* * *

><p>It was now an hour past midnight and the team was stationed at three different sections of Starling where The Batman could possibly make an appearance with Felicity on the comms.<p>

"Northeast coordinate clear." Diggle said on the comms.

"Southeast coordinate clear." Arsenal came in, standing on a rooftop.

"Southwest coordinate clear. Felicity, do you have anything on satelite?" The Arrow asked.

"Nothing that I can see." Felicity answered.

Oliver let out sigh before telling everyone to converge back at the Foundry. Oliver made his way off the rooftop he was on before a growly voice came from behind him.

"I heard you were looking for me."

The Arrow instinctively turned around and drew his bow back to see it was The Batman perched on the railing, his cape flowing slightly in the wind, his suit still blending in with the darkness.

"WHY ARE YOU IN STARLING." The Arrow commanded.

"A case I'm following. Led me here to Starling." Batman said, "I don't want to fight, once I'm through I'll be gone."

"That may not be soon enough." The Arrow replied.

"I was considering putting our resources together." The Batman said simply.

"I don't work well with people I don't know." The Arrow said grimly.

"But you do know me Mr. Queen." The Batman stated, Oliver now in shock as he lowered his bow.

"Think about it." The Batman said before dropping off the building.


	10. Chapter 8

**Author's Notes: I apologize for the wait, a lot of technical difficulties came up but here is the latest chapter. After there will be one more chapter, the most action-packed, and then the Epilogue. I will be working on a sequel to this story when it is done so please be on the look-out for that. Other than that, please Review and _Enjoy!_**

It was the next morning and the team was at a stand still. Rumors of a big arms deal with no lead, a psycho serial killer with no lead, and a vigilante who knew Oliver's identity as The Arrow. Things were not working out.

Oliver, Diggle, and Roy were in the Foundry doing a three-way Escrima training session. It was supposed to be every man for themselves but quickly turned into a 2-on-1 situation with Roy and Diggle against Oliver.

Oliver was keeping up with Roy and Diggle's pace very well, blocking quickly and efficiently before coming to a stop.

"You sure are taking training seriously this week." Diggle noted.

"Fighting this vigilante was like fighting Malcolm Merlyn all over again, which means I need to train harder." Oliver replied as Laurel and Felicity walked in.

"I got the information you requested-" Laurel said but was quickly distracted by seeing Oliver, Roy, and Diggle shirtless and sweaty.

Laurel leaned over to Felicity, "Is it like this all the time in here?" Laurel whispered.

"Mostly on Wednesdays," Felicity answered nonchalantly, "but this week has been special."

The two women walked to the lab table as the men followed suit. Laurel placed several folders on the table as she started relaying the information.

"It took a little digging, but I found a connection between the last couple of arrests made this week. Steven Hortz, Daniel Swits, Ronald Harken, all of them are somewhat affiliated with a crime mob out of Gotham City. The mob is said to be owned by Carmine Falcone. The deal you've been hearing about is said to be between him and the Bertinellis." Laurel explained.

"The Bertinellis?" Roy inserted, "I thought they were locked up."

"Franco and Helena are incarcerated, but there is still another in the family." Laurel said as she placed another file on the table.

"Pino, Helena's little brother." Oliver said.

"So this guy is taking over the business while daddy's in prison." Diggle said.

"How long before this deal is supposed to happen?" Oliver asked.

"Interrogators couldn't get that information out of them. Unless you're willing to go all the way to Gotham and ask Falcone yourself, I don't know what to tell you." Laurel stated.

"We won't have to. We have a Gotham resident right here in Starling." Oliver replied.

"You mean Bruce Wayne?" Diggle asked, Oliver agreeing.

"I don't think Mr. Wayne will know a whole lot about the underground operations of his city, he's too busy being a stuck-up rich playboy." Laurel inserted.

"It won't hurt to ask, he may know more than we lead him on to. Besides, he's the best lead we have." Oliver inserted, "Now, we need to see where he's staying."

"Oh he's in a hotel suite, top floor around the corner from Palmer Industries." Felicity said quickly, everyone looking up at her, "NOT that I've been in his room or anything..."

"Are you going to need backup?" Roy asked.

"For Bruce, no. It should go fairly quickly." Oliver stated.

"You're not going to hurt him...are you?" Felicity asked.

"No, just a couple of questions, in-and-out, The Arrow doesn't need to get involved, me and Bruce are just going to play a little catch-up. In the meantime, I need more information on The Batman. Felicity, find any information you can on this guy. Diggle, keep training with Roy, and Laurel, thank you." Oliver said before making his way out the Foundry.

* * *

><p><em>Elsewhere...<em>

"You've brought too much attention to yourself Beanbag." Pino said.

"It's Ragdoll, and what's the point of being a hired killer if I can't have a little fun?" Ragdoll replied, sounding like a 5-year-old.

"You're not supposed to be a hired killer you idiot, you're supposed to be a bodyguard." Pino said before Ragdoll lashed at him, pinning Pino to a nearby wall and holding a knife to his neck.

"Call me an idiot again Mr. Bertinelli, and I'll carve your face like a pumpkin." Ragdoll whispered.

"Hands off the merchandise you freak." Said a voice from afar.

They turn to see a muscular bald man dressed in regular clothing with a bearded goatee enter the facility. He had what looked to be tally marks carved above his left eye.

"Unless you wanna be added to my tally, I suggest you do as I say." The man said, pulling out a hunting knife, almost three times bigger than Ragdoll's Swiss knife.

Ragdoll let Pino go and turned his attention to the bald man, "And who the hell are you my brave bald friend?"

"Reassurance from Falcone himself," Pino answered, fixing his jacket, "he's here to make sure obstacles are dealt with. We can't have lunatics like you messing things up. Now, you two get real aquainted with each other, the deal is tomorrow night and I need you two to tie up our loose end..."

* * *

><p>It was now 6p.m. and Bruce was on the giant balcony of his suite, dressed in a white martial arts Gi, sporting a black belt practicing his hand-to-hand skills, performing acrobatic kicks and flips that were surprising for a man of his build.<p>

Bruce does one more acrobatic flip before landing gracefully on his feet. He then walks toward a table holding 12 bat-shaped shuriken and a long, thick piece of red cloth. He took the cloth and blindfolded himself, then took the shuriken.

Around the balcony were 12 wooden planks, this was a test of Bruce's memory. He takes a step back and goes into a gymnist T poistion. Bruce then backflips and summersaults toward the center of the balcony.

As he landed in the center, Bruce started rapidly throwing the shuriken at the planks surrounding him, each one landing percisely in the center of what would be a head, spinning clockwise and counter-clockwise with each throw.

Bruce throws the last shuriken in a kneeling position at the last plank by the table, then his phone starts to ring. Bruce gets to his feet and takes off the blindfold, admiring his work. He calms his breathing before heading to pick up his phone.

"Bruce Wayne." Bruce answers.

"Hey Bruce, this is Oliver Queen."

"Ollie? How'd you get my number?"

"I may have had a certain blond PING your phone."

"She can do that?"

"One of her many talents, but I really just wanted to talk tonight, catch up on our years if you don't mind." Oliver says.

"Well, you are an old friend, and you did go through the trouble of hacking my phone. I don't see why not." Bruce joked.

"Great! If I recall correctly, you loved Italian and I know a great restaurant."

"You have yourself a deal Mr. Queen."

* * *

><p><em>The Foundry<em>

Roy was practicing his accuracy with the bow and was getting better. He reached for a tennis ball and threw it, bouncing it in the air and as he did he drew his bow back and fired, but the air missed. Roy looking very disappointed.

"Don't be dissappointed Roy," came a voice, it was Diggle coming down the stairs to the Foundry, "Oliver makes it look easier than it really is."

"I thought you were with Lyla and Sara?" Roy asked.

"I was, Lyla insisted I "get back to work" while she went clothes shopping for Sara." Diggle answered.

"Well there's not much going on right now, everything's been pretty silent the last couple of hours." Roy explained.

"You should go home and rest Roy, I'll take it from here." Diggle offered.

"You're right, but the thought of doing nothing bothers me when we have a psycho killer and another viglante out their with nothing but dead ends." Roy replied.

"I'm sure something will pop up, I'll let you know if I find something." Diggle said.

Roy nodded at the notion as he placed his bow and quiver back in the glass case and headed out before turing back around.

"Oh, for some reason the surveilance has been acting weird." Roy added.

Diggle pulled up the surveilance on the monitors to check it out. They did appear to be odd, almost cropped.

"Roy, turn the lights out please." Diggle asked.

Roy walked and turned the main lights off, the lights on the surveilance cameras were still on.

"The video's looped." Diggle exclaimed as he came to the shocking conclusion.

* * *

><p>"The food is delicious here Ollie," Bruce said, cleaning his mouth with a napkin, "I wouldn't mind having one of these back in Gotham."<p>

Oliver sat back and grinned at Bruce's notion before he started bring up a couple of important matters,

"Speaking of Gotham, how is everything at Wayne Enterprises?"

"Everything is going smoothly, mostly thanks to my partner Lucius Fox. The man is a genius." Bruce answered, "Though I do wish there was more I could've done for Queen Consolidated, I know how it must've felt."

"Starling was built on the foundation that my parents built, even though it was built on a lie, and because of that, people died." Oliver said.

"The Undertaking wasn't their fault, Ollie. Mrs. Moira Queen was under the seduction of a mad man and only did what was necessary to keep you and Thea alive." Bruce replied, Oliver smiling at Bruce's naive deduction of the events.

* * *

><p><em>The Foundry<em>

Felicity rushed into the The Foundry after being called at work about the surveilance being tampered with. She got into her chair and rolled to the monitors.

"This definitely counts as mainframe hacking," Felicity said, going nuts on the keyboard,"whoever did this is good, they put installed a decryption key so no one can trace them back. It may take some time but I'll have it unlocked soon..."

A red alert that popped up on the screen.

"Facial Recognition has a lock on the man in the doll mask. It looks like he's heading for Jacob Paulini's condo." Felicity said.

"He's there to finish the job. Roy, suit up, you and I will head over there." Diggle commanded.

"I'll call Oliver." Roy said.

"By the time you get back, I should have the decryption unlocked." Felicity said.

* * *

><p>"So what exactly happened to you on that island?" Bruce asked, "If you don't mind me asking."<p>

"It was...an experience." Oliver said.

"Say no more." Bruce said, taking a sip of his wine.

"What about you? I heard you dissapeared for almost 10 years."

Bruce sat his glass down, "Well, after my parent's death, I went to a really dark place. You know this. All of my suicide attempts, acting out, the rage that came over me was...puzzling. Going into adulthood, I saw that I needed to find myself again. So I went on a ssoul search."

"For 10 years?"

"Some searches take longer than others. But I came back with a vision, a vision for Gotham. I saw the potential in my city and I've been working toward it ever since. Though I have to thank Alfred for putting up with me."

"To a better tomorrow." Oliver toasted, Bruce following.

"So what about Carmine Falcone?" Oliver asked, Bruce pausing.

"The mobster? What about him?"

"I heard he has a hold on Gotham."

"The man is poisoning Gotham, but no one can get a hold of any evidence to take the man down." Bruce replied before Oliver's phone started ringing.

"Excuse me. Hello? I'm on my way. Sorry Bruce something came up, please finish your meal, on me of course."

"Everything alright?" Bruce asked.

"Fine." Oliver said before leaving Bruce.

* * *

><p>Jacob Paulini's guards were laying outside the condo dead. Inside, Arsenal and Diggle were facing Ragdoll, who had the upperhand as Arsenal and Diggle just couldn't get a hold of the man.<p>

Jacob Paulini was hiding behind a sofa chair when Arsenal went crashing down beside him, unconscious. Jacob rushed to the door and as he opened it, the man with the tally marks on his head was in front of him.

The man stabbed Jacob in the heart with the hunting knife and pulled it out, Jacob falling to ground as the bald man made his way toward Diggle who was beaten, bloodied, and out of ammo when a figure crashes through the window behind the bald man. It was The Arrow and now the odds were even as the bald man lashed at The Arrow while Diggle lashed at Ragdoll.

The Arrow dodged all of the bald man's lash attempts before sending a solid punch to the man's jaw, followed by a solid kick to the bald man's thigh. The bald man rush at The Arrow, picking him up and thrusting Oliver hard into a wall.

The Arrow sends a flurry of elbows into the bald man's back, trying to release his grip when he see's Diggle's leg get stabbed. The Arrow takes an arrow from his quiver and jams it into the bald man's shoulder before pulling it out and firing it at Ragdoll who acrobatically dodges it.

The bald man picks The Arrow up again and flips him over his head. The Arrow lands on his feet and sends a kick to the back of the bald man's leg, sending him down to one knee before Ragdoll intervened, now taking on The Arrow.

"Get Arsenal out of here!" The Arrow said to Diggle before getting back into action with Ragdoll and the bald man.

Diggle limped toward Roy and got him on his shoulder, carrying him out the door. The bald man broke away from the fight with The Arrow and ran toward the broken window.

"Our ride is here!" The bald man yelled before taking a couple of steps back and jumping out the window, falling 1 story before landing on a motor boat with two armed men on it. Ragdoll continued his fight with The Arrow, bending and flipping abnormally around him before dropkicking The Arrow through a glass table and cartwheeling to the broken window.

"See you soon, Robin Hood." Ragdoll said as he bowed and rushed out the window, The Arrow following.

The Arrow reached the window and tried to fire an arrow, but the armed men were laying down cover fire as they went off into across the shoreline, disappearing around the docks.

* * *

><p><strong>(Moments Later...)<strong>

_The Foundry_

Roy and Oliver were unhooded and carrying a wounded Diggle down the stairs, Felicity got up and rushed to them.

"Oh my God, Diggle." Felicity said, checking his wounds.

"A couple of stitches and I'm fine." Diggle said, Roy and Oliver laying him against the table.

Felicity went to the cabinets and grabbed the first aid kit before revealing what she had found,

"While you guys were gone, I unlocked the decryption, you will not believe what I found on the surveilance-"

"I hope I'm not interrupting." Came a voice from afar, making Felicity jump.

Roy and Oliver drawed their bows and were shocked to see that it was Bruce Wayne standing in The Foundry as well as his picture on surveilance.

"Oliver, you really need to take me up on my offer."


	11. Chapter 9

"Bruce...how did you get in here." Oliver said, holding his bow steady at the billionaire.

Bruce was at the tail end of two arrows pointing at him, but he stood firm and calm.

"The same way I got in the first time Ollie, but that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that the deal between Pino Bertinelli and Carmine Falcone is happening tomorrow night." Bruce explained, slowly walking toward the team.

"Don't move Bruce!" Oliver said menacingly.

"Oliver we don't have time for this. You can trust me." Bruce said.

"Give me a reason not to put an arrow in you Bruce." Oliver said, tightening his grip on the bow.

"Several reasons. One being I have the information you need regarding Falcone. Another being if I wanted to expose your identity, I would have done so the first night I got in here, or when you and I spoke on the rooftop."

"Wait..." Felicity interrupted, "so you're saying-"

"That's right, I'm The Batman." Bruce answered.

"Oh God, I really do have a type..." Felicity said before Oliver lowered his bow, Roy following his mentor.

"I left bread crums for you all to follow in hopes that we could even things out. Hence why I left the recording of me breaking into this location on your surveilance cameras. I knew of Ms. Smoak's career as a hacker and knew she would eventually crack my decryption, but by the time you all figured it all, a man lost his life." Bruce explained.

"So you wanted us to know it was you who set off the alarms." Diggle concluded.

"I wanted to see how diligently your team worked. I've been investigating a string of armed deals around Gotham," Bruce explained as he walked over to the computer monitors and hooked in a USB flash drive, "the leads that I've gotten lead me here to Starling."

"So what does he need here in Starling that he doesn't have in Gotham." Roy asked.

"Bodies. He's trying to expand his empire by trading weapons for loyalty, under the promise that the gangs will be under Falcone's protection." Bruce answered.

"A promise? If that's the case, what's stopping them from turning on Falcone?" Diggle asked.

"Falcone has people everywhere, he has information on almost every gang there is, and if he went down, so will they. That's why it's imperative that we take him down swiftly and efficiently." Bruce answers.

"So if we take Falcone down, everyone else under him goes down too." Roy concluded.

"Given that this is my city, you'll have to follow my lead." Oliver insisted.

"I've scoped out every inch of your city Oliver, there's not much I don't know about it." Bruce said as he walks up Oliver face-to-face and tells him, "I'm not the human lightning bolt from Central City, so don't talk to me like I am."

"How did you-"

"I do my homework. There's not much I don't know about all of you. Like you Oliver, I don't like working with people I don't know." Bruce interrupted.

Oliver gave Bruce an undeciding stare that didn't phase Bruce one bit.

"Do we have a deal Ollie?" Bruce asked, holding out his hand.

Oliver looked toward his team for answers. It was unanimous as Oliver shook Bruce's hand.

* * *

><p><em>Elsewhere...<em>

"Did you get the job done." Pino asked, his men forming around Ragdoll and the bald man.

"Yes, but we had a little run-in with the Starling City vigilante." Ragdoll said.

"He wasn't so tough." The bald man said.

The bald man removed his shirt to reveal that his whole body is covered with tally marks. He took his hunting knife and started carving another mark on the inner part of his bicep, making Pino and his men wence as Ragdoll simply cocked his head.

"Where do these guys come from," Pino sighed, "we need to set up the location for tomorrow night. With all the men that will be there, The Arrow must have a deathwish to try and take us down."

* * *

><p>"So what do we have so far?" Oliver asked.<p>

"I've estimated that their will be two dozen armed men tomorrow night, not including Falcone and Bertinelli. Also, their will be two specialized bodyguards." Bruce replied.

"Two?" Roy asked.

"Peter Merkel, Jr. Better known as Rag Doll. He uses contortionism to kill his victims." Bruce explained.

"That's why no one could get a hold of him." Diggle said, his wounds now all stitched up.

"Over the years he's had his joints one-by-one replaced by full-rotating, lubricated prostetics, making his whole body into a human weapon." Bruce continued.

"How did you get that information? A.R.G.U.S didn't have any known records besides his M.O." Felicity asked.

"Peter's life is in that mask. It turns out his father was the first Rag Doll, but Jr. wasn't born doble-jointed like his father was."

"Hence why he had all of the surgeries." Roy pieced together.

"Precisely. It took a Blood Analysis scan to find out his lineage, his father died at the hands of G.C.P.D." Bruce concluded.

"So this isn't your first run-in with the man?" Diggle asked, Bruce simply shaking his head.

"What about the other bodyguard?" Oliver asked.

"Victor Zsaz. A serial killer who carves a tally mark on his body with every kill he makes." Bruce answered.

"Another one of yours I assume?" Felicity asked, making Bruce smirk.

"We'll need more backup if we want to take these guys down." Diggle noted.

"Felicity, contact Captain Lance and let him know what's going on. We need him to round up as many men as he can for tomorrow night." Oliver said.

"We'll need to have them stationed at all points around the docks and the shoreline. The rest will have to be left to us." Bruce added.

"On it." Felicity said asked she dialed the number on her phone.

Bruce then layed out a holographic schematics of the docks on the large table.

"You pretty good with that bow kid?" Bruce asked Roy jokingly.

"Pretty decent." Roy replied.

"Good, you'll be with me, we'll take the blunt end of Falcone's and Bertinelli's men on this side of the docks." Bruce said.

"While Diggle and I flank them from the other side." Oliver added.

"By that time, we'll have met up with you in the middle. This is where Carmine and Pino will meet." Bruce said, pointing to the rooftop of a tall building near the docks.

"Think you can handle that?" Bruce joked.

* * *

><p>The next day came and it was a couple of hours before the arms deal between Falcone and Bertinelli. Captain Lance was at the station giving orders.<p>

"Alright men," Captain Lance stated, using a diagram on the white board that was given to him by The Arrow, "right now we're looking at at least two dozen armed men stationed around the docks. I want men here, here, and here. Boats and choppers will converge on my go. The Arrow and his team will be there, but that doesn't minimize you guys' safety so be careful."

* * *

><p><em>The Foundry<em>

Oliver and Roy were training in combat with their bows while Diggle was practicing his aim with his Glock when Felicity came down.

"It's time." She said.

Oliver, Roy, and Diggle stopped what they were doing and started suiting up.

* * *

><p><em>Gotham<em>

"Mr. Falcone, sir. The boat is ready."

"Good," Falcone said, rising from his seat, "let's get this over with."

* * *

><p><em>Starling<em>

Bruce was in his suite suiting up. Locking in his spiked gauntlets, zipping up his boots and utility belt, and finally tying on his cape before reaching for his cowl.

"Please do be careful, sir." Alfred said on speaker phone.

Bruce ended the call and placed the cowl over his head before running and jumping off the balcony.

* * *

><p><em>The Foundry<em>

Oliver zipped up his sleeves and jacket before placing the hood over his head and grabbing his bow. The Arrow, Arsenal, and Diggle were now heading out when Felicity stopped them.

"Please be careful." Felicity said sincerely.

Oliver, Roy, and Diggle gave her a reassuring smile before walking off.

* * *

><p>The Starling City docks was cold and dreary. Armed men had the place surrounded. Pino and his two bodyguards stood firmly at the docks waiting for Carmine Falcone to arrive.<p>

There were men stationed on the rooftops as well as on the dock grounds. The Arrow silently took out the men on the roof. Choking one out before running up to another armed man and climbed on top of him, wrapping his legs around the man's neck before taking the man down to the ground.

An armed man was about to firing his pistol at Oliver when The Arrow quickly draws his bow and shoots the pistol out of the man's hand before sending a punch to his jaw, knocking the man out.

"I'm in position." Oliver says on his comm.

Diggle does a military choke on a man and gently leans him to the ground.

"Diggle in position."

"Roy?" Felicity said on the comms.

Roy was making quick work of the armed men, making sure he that he didn't let one gun go off.

"Arsenal in position." Roy said before being startled by a body being dropped behind him.

Roy looks up to see Batman on the rooftop looking through a small pair of binoculars. He sees a boat roll in and Carmine and his men walk out with five crates. Pino and Carmine shake each other's hands before walking to their rondevu point, half the men, as well as the two bodyguards, following them through the middle of the docks.

"We're on." Batman says on the comms.

"God I gotta get use to that voice." Felicity says.

* * *

><p>Carmine, Pino, and the rest of the men make it to the rooftop of a building in the middle of the docks.<p>

"Is this place clean?" Carmine asked.

"Of course, I made sure of it." Pino replied.

"Fine. Let's get down to business."

* * *

><p>Captain Lance was waiting around the corner in a S.W.A.T vest with other cops behind him, holding a talkie to his mouth before yelling,<p>

"NOW!"

Suddenly cops sprung from all corners surounding the armed men who instinctively started firing. Motor boats and and helicopters starting blaring their lights at the men.

"All units converge!" Lance yelled as he went into action as well.

A couple of armed men got away from the cops and were now heading toward Carmine and Pino's location, but were interviened by Arsenal who was now locked into combat, sending a flurry of kicks and arrows to his opponents.

Batman quickly joined in as he jumps from the rooftop and glides to the ground beside Arsenal as he starts sending a flurry of attacks of his own.

Oliver and Diggle also had their hands full as they were also locked in combat. Oliver sending a backwards kick to a man's groin before shooting an explosisive arrow to the ground, taking out 4 men while Diggle was dodging bullets and sending some of his own.

* * *

><p>Carmine looked out at the docks as he heard all of the comotion.<p>

"What the hell is going on?"

* * *

><p>Batman sent a straight kick to an armed man's chest before catching a man's punch and hip tossed him to the ground. Arsenal was using his bow like he was taught and sent it craching to different joints on the armed men's anatomy, breaking them down. Soon they were finished cleaning up and made their way toward their rondevu point.<p>

Shortly after, Arsenal and Batman met up with Oliver and Diggle.

"Lance and his men should be here shortly," Oliver said, "Diggle, you and Roy cover the area, round up any remaining men and take them down."

"Right." Diggle said as he and Arsenal went off.

The Arrow and Batman slowly walked toward the building side-by-side.

"There are ten armed guards up their, along with Ragdoll and Zsaz." Batman noted.

"Try to keep up." The Arrow joked.

The Arrow and Batman looked at each other with a grin. Simultaneously, The Arrow pulled out a grappling arrow and Batman pulled his gas-powered grappling gun and both fired at the same time, propelling them upward.

The Arrow got to the roof and started making quick work of the armed men as Batman propelled himself to the skies and landed on two men, knocking them out. Four more men surrounded Batman, holding him at gunpoint before Batman threw down a smoke pellet.

Out of the smoke, Batman drove an elbow into one armed man's hand, dropping his weapon before sending a kick to another armed man. Batman then swept the legs from under them before throw two bat-shaped shurikens at the last two men's shoulder, dropping them as The Arrow finishes up his men in the background.

Batman is then attacked by Victor Zsaz as The Arrow is attacked by Ragdoll. Zsaz takes a couple of slashes at Batman before he catches Zsaz's wrists and locks it in.

"You're going back to Blackgate Zsaz." Batman says menacingly.

Batman then headbutts Zsaz, elbows his forarm making him drop the knife, then extends his cape and crashes it in Zsaz's jaw, stunning him before sending a barrage of punches and palm strikes to Zsaz's face and body before a final uppercut tofinish him off, making Zsaz fall to the ground as Batman stands over him. Batman then makes his way toward Pino and Carmine who were in shock.

The Arrow dodges Ragdoll's slashes before countering with a kick that catches Ragdoll off balance. The Arrow then takes four arrows and fires them at Ragdoll, all off them exploding into cables and wrapping around his body.

Ragdoll giggles at The Arrow's attempt at immobilizing him as Ragdoll squeezes his joints together, making cracking noises as the cables slid right off the ground. He then lashes at The Arrow who fires an explosive arrow under Ragdoll, causing him to fly uncontrollably toward Oliver who catches him with a punch that breaks through Ragdoll's mask and knocks him out. The Arrow then fires a wire tightly around Ragdoll's neck, making sure he stays until cops arrive.

The Arrow walks over toward Batman who was dodging Pino's bullets before throwing one of his shurikens at the gun, sending it out Pino's hand. Carmine tries to make his escape but the Arrow draws his bow and trips Carmine with a wire arround his feet.

Moments later Batman and The Arrow had Carmine and Pino strung up and handcuffed. A helicopter flies over the building, shining it's light on The Arrow as he hears Lance and his men make their way up to the rooftop.

"You should g-" Oliver said before realizing that Bruce had already disappeared.

"So that's what that feels like." Oliver said before Lance and his men busted through the doors to the rooftop.


	12. Epilogue

A week has past and Carmine Falcone, as well as his associates have been put in Blackgate Prison and Iron Heights respectively. With the exception of Peter Merkel who escaped police custody and is still at large. Bruce also made his exit from Starling the day after the arrests were made. Saying his goodbyes to everyone before racing off in his Ferrari.

Oliver and his team made their way down to the Foundry, another successful night of patrol.

"Cross Gerald Stewart off the list." Oliver told Felicity who did so, "Well the night is still young, how about we go out for a late dinner."

"On a broke man's salary?" Diggle joke causing everyone to bust out laughing.

"I could actually use some Sabastian's Pizza tonight." Felicity offered, Roy and Diggle agreeing.

Roy's attention quickly got caught by a piece of paper latched onto the lab table.

"Umm, Oliver?" He said.

Oliver saw the piece of paper and it was latched onto the table by a bat-shaped shuriken. He went to it and read it.

"You guys go home and clean up, I'll meet you out at Sabastian's." Oliver said.

Everyone made their way out of of the Foundry as Oliver made his way to the roof.

* * *

><p>Oliver was on the rooftop of Verdant, standing on the ledge looking over across Starling. He was still in his hood and his mask was around his neck. He heard swooshing in the wind above him.<p>

"Bruce Wayne left Starling a week ago," Oliver said as he turns around to face a figure that lands behind him, "so what is The Batman still doing here in Starling?"

"I'm here to properly thank you." Bruce says, fully suited up as Batman but still using his regular voice. "Carmine is in Blackgate and crime has steadily dropped without him leading the operations."

Bruce walks up to the ledge beside Oliver and gazes out at Starling with him.

"You know, you have a beautiful city here. It's something worth protecting." Bruce says.

"It is. But I do have a question...do you ever wonder why we fight to protect our cities? Why not just hang it all up for a normal life." Oliver asked.

"I do. There are nights that I sit in the cave and wonder "what is this for?" Then I see the lives of my city, the children, their families. I see a future where no 8-year-old kid loses their parents to a punk with a gun, and that's what I fight for." Bruce turns to Oliver, " From one messed up rich kid to another, Ollie, we fight so that they won't have to."

"It's a price we pay," Oliver concluded, "laying down our lives-"

"For a better tomorrow." Bruce finishes.

Oliver grins. "To a better tomorrow."

Oliver holds out his hand in which Bruce shakes firmly.

"Did you say you had a cave?" Oliver asked.

"Bigger than your Arrowcave." Bruce joked, Oliver laughing just a little bit.

"Speaking of which, make sure you keep Ms. Smoak close," Bruce added, "I see the way she looks at you and it doesn't take a detective to see that she loves you."

Oliver grins at Bruce's notion before stepping off the ledge onto the roof but then quickly turns around,

"You know you owe me a rematch." Oliver says jokingly yet competitively, making Bruce smile. Oliver turns on his Voice Modulator and puts on his mask.

"May the best man win." The Arrow said.

"I intend to." Batman says, his voice now a low and raspy before stepping off the ledge downward toward the street.

The Arrow looks over the ledge to see Batman gliding to what looked like a tank/lamborghini hybrid. The top latch slides open and Batman lands inside. The latch then slides close and the vehicle takes off at an amazing speed.

"Show off." The Arrow said before leaving the rooftop.

* * *

><p>Standing in the distance were two figures observing The Arrow as he vanished from the rooftop. One of them was Nyssa al Ghul who was standing beside a mysterious woman, beautiful with long brown hair, dressed in an attire similar to that of The Canary's.<p>

"Oliver Queen is quite the formidable warrior." The mysterious woman says.

"That he is. And so is your Beloved. Al-Xu'ffasch has also become a formidable warrior." Nyssa replied, "He will return to the League sister. He will have no choice once father runs his city with the blood of it's people."

**Author's Notes: This leads us to the sequel which will be titled Against The League. It will have to do with Bruce and his connection to The League of Assassins. So be on the look out. Hope you enjoyed ^_^**


End file.
